Thank you to The Cole Foundation for awarding Discovery Place Kids-Rockingham a grant of $60,000 to launch a new year-round Youth Development program.

The grant will provide opportunities for students ages 16-20 to work in the Museum and engage the public in programming, support groups on field trips and host special events.

Representing a wide-range of backgrounds and abilities, the selected participants will receive training in science content and informal science education and will use these skills and knowledge to help deliver these programs to the public.

To further enhance their educational experience and to better prepare them for future careers, students also will have opportunities to learn from guest speakers, participate in college application and job search workshops, produce a signature project and take field trips to STEM companies and other museums.

Based on past experiences with teen volunteers, we anticipate that these new Museum interns will build a broad range of skills necessary for success in high school, college and beyond. The Program will help participants develop customer service, public speaking, problem-solving and communication skills; reinforce the importance of time management, collaboration and teamwork; and instill community awareness and responsible citizenship.

The Museum anticipates having four paid positions in the first year, and the process for selecting the first group of interns is underway. We look forward to meeting our new interns!